Lag time from today's efforts

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donjtomasco
donjtomasco Posts: 789 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So with each calorie I take in today and each calorie that I burn today, is there a rule of thumb as to when what I do today will show up on the scale? I remember the last time that I was on a plan, if I had a big evening dinner and blew it out, it would show up the next morning and take days to work off. BUT, it did not seem like if I have a really good low 'calorie in' day and lot of calorie 'out day', that it shows up immediately like the bad day does.

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  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    that's why a number on a scale is only a moment in time...looking at your trends over time (I use a 5 day one) - then you can see are you trending up or down, even if you have a day that is higher in calories
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Happy Scale is an app for iOS and Libra is an app for Android that lets you track weight trends over time.

    I weigh the same time each day under the same conditions and if the trend line is going down, I call it good. I may be 142.6 today and 142.8 tomorrow and then 142.7 the next day but the trend will say it's essentially remained steady for that time frame.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    I always lost weight in whooshes, so it was never immediate for me.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited January 2017
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    The weight gain you experience after a big meal is the volume of the meal and likely water retention from extra sodium & carbs. This disappears on its own. In my experience, it takes a week or two to see a substantial difference on the scale from several days of overeating or several days of calorie restriction.
  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 789 Member
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    Thanks! I am more asking about how long it takes what I eat today to work through my system and hit the scale? Maybe there is not a solid answer to that and like you all are saying it is more a blended trend constantly moving around but if we do it right the trend will keep in the right direction scale wise.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I tend to have a 1-2 week lag time before major changes show up. That goes both ways. Aside from water retention which is more immediate, if I have a week where I'm consistently over calories and end in a surplus (I'm currently in maintenance) then it's usually a week or two later that I'm trending toward the upper part of my maintenance range. If I'm super diligent for a week or two and end up in a deficit, it's usually a couple weeks later before I'm rewarded with seeing the scale go downward.

    It's what initially prompted me to look at weekly averages not daily numbers, and what helps me remember not to freak out or get frustrated when things aren't going the way I want them to.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    donjtomasco wrote: »
    Thanks! I am more asking about how long it takes what I eat today to work through my system and hit the scale? Maybe there is not a solid answer to that and like you all are saying it is more a blended trend constantly moving around but if we do it right the trend will keep in the right direction scale wise.

    Like I said, I lost in whooshes. See this article for an explanation of what that means: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/
  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 789 Member
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    THANK YOU try2again! That was perfect.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    You will eventually be the weight you deserve. Just not necessarily at the time you deserve it. ;)
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    They say 'eat today to fuel tomorrow's workout.'
    They also say 'what you do this month determines next month's body.'

    Not sure who "they" are, but "their" logic works for me!
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    Ha, I had a 'moment' at my daily weigh-in this morning because I've been eating at a deficit and am expecting to see the scale trend down any time now-and it was up :p But, while I was within my calorie targets yesterday I know it's just digestion timing at work, with some water retention due to higher sodium intake. I'm betting that tomorrow or Friday the 'whoosh' will finally happen (it better, lol!) :)
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
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    It might be helpful to think of the daily scale changes as weather and the overall trend on the scale as the climate. One is the day-in and day-out microchanges. The other is what happens over long-term.

    Personally I've found that if I ate a lot yesterday, I might be up today but go down tomorrow. If I ate a lot for repeated weeks, it might be up and stay up.

    If you are logging consistently (food, weight, inches), pull some data. It will be educational.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    There is so very much going on in your body that you'll find there is no mechanistic tool to input food and exercise and output an accurate prediction of your weight each morning. That said, here's a brief primer on ways to actually lose weight in the short term:

    Drink much water.

    That concludes the primer. Your body uses the water to flush out the excesses of sodium and fiber which your previous eating has left in your body. This assumes that you are in an actual calorie deficit each day. By drinking an abundance of water throughout the day and especially after your last meal of the day, you force your kidneys to expel the water and the sodium suspended in it.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I have been weighing daily for 6 months and what I see is that the numbers are up, up, down over and over regardless of the daily specifics of where I ended up with my calorie or exercise goals. It's much bigger picture than day to day. I had a really good week of food and weighed same, same, pound down, two pounds up the last few days, and I had a gnarly workout two days ago, moderate yesterday and was under my calorie goal both days. The way I look at it is I banked the weight loss, but it's gonna show up when it's good and ready. It's ironic that weighing daily has made me less anxious about the scale because of the big picture I have got over time.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    You will eventually be the weight you deserve. Just not necessarily at the time you deserve it. ;)

    And may I add not in a straight line down:)

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